In the falafel world, canned chickpeas are not only illegal, they flat out don’t work. Reason: falafels are made with dried chickpeas that are soaked but not cooked before forming the falafel balls.
Other than the dried chickpeas rule, there’s nothing unusual that goes into falafels. Baking powder is the only point of contention – you won’t see it in all recipes and it’s not endorsed by Kenji over at Serious Eats, one of our references for this recipe.
But it’s a trade secret we managed to extract from Hijazi’s Falafel in Earlwood, one the best falafel joints in Sydney. So we tried it with and without, side by side, and the baking powder version was noticeably more fluffy – and moist.
So it’s in. Fluffy insides to the max!!!
Falafels MUST be made with soaked dried chickpeas that are NOT cooked. Canned chickpeas don’t work!
Frying is not optional!
It’s rare that I say frying is mandatory, but for falafels, it is. It’s the only way to get the signature super crispy dark crust and keep the inside moist.
For this falafel recipe, I deep-deep fry them in the video, using enough oil so they’re mostly submerged. But you don’t need to – you can use far less oil than I did and they can be shaped like discs rather than balls which will mean even less oil required for frying.
Speaking of discs – you can unleash your wild side when it comes to shaping falafels. I chose balls because for me, that’s the shape that first comes to mind. But other common shapes include: disc shape (slightly flattened ball), dome (ball with underside flattened) and torpedoes (evil looking shape, like a football).
How to make falafels
I promise you this falafel recipe is straightforward, and I did not exaggerate! Here’s how to make falafels:
- Soak dried chickpeas overnight (seriously, remembering to do this is the hardest part!)
- Blitz with herbs, spices, garlic, flour and a touch of water
- Form balls, refrigerate to firm up
- Fry until deep golden brown and super crispy
- Devour as fast as humanly possible. Falafels are at their absolute peak straight out of the fryer!
